by During a European Championship play on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo was confronted on the field by four fans who demanded photos. Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said that Ronaldo should count himself lucky that he escaped unharmed.
The concerning run of security lapses occurred during the second half of Portugal’s 3-0 victory over Turkey at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.
In the 69th minute, a young fan slipped by stewards to enter the field, and Ronaldo was glad to take a selfie with him using his phone.
When two more players attempted to do the same in the closing minutes of the match, Ronaldo was obviously not thrilled about it. A second man wearing a red Portugal jersey approached the 39-year-old striker for a picture shortly after the final whistle.
Then, while Ronaldo and his teammates were walking off the field, two more people tried to approach him, but security stopped them both.
Martinez expressed concern, saying, “We were fortunate today that the fans’ intentions were good.”
“Everyone enjoys a fan who has a mental image of the great stars and idols. That is something that we can all agree upon. However, you have to admit that it was an extremely trying time; if those intentions are incorrect, the players will be revealed, so we must proceed with caution. That shouldn’t occur on a football field, in my opinion.”
Martinez said it was important to convey to the onlookers that these kinds of behaviors were not acceptable.
“It’s not the right way; you’re not going to get anything out of it,” Martinez said. And as a result of what you do, the measurements will most likely get worse in the future.
Having players so exposed while there are others scurrying around the field is not ideal.
After scoring a goal against Turkey, Costa Rican forward Bernardo Silva said he was “not really concerned” about the spectators that had entered the field.
“The fact that you have to halt the game when a fan walks onto the field is a little unpleasant,” Silva said. “That’s the cost of being so well-known in the football world.”
